Category Archives: Book Review

Book Review: Marionette by T.B. Markinson

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Marionette by T.B. Markinson

A YA Novel published by T. B. Markinson (11/01/13)

 

Summary:

 Paige is a troubled freshman in college who is trying to start fresh. She is continuously held back by her family’s sordid secrets and the way her past binds her and drags her back into it. When she tried and failed to commit suicide, Paige is forced to deal with her conflicted feelings, and upon the insistence of her girlfriend Jess, promises to see the college counselor once a week. From her homophobic Catholic roommate to her girlfriend’s misguided mission to help everyone around her, Paige will have to learn to deal with who she is and what happened in her past. In learning who she is, Paige will discover the most juicy, horrific secret of them all.

 

Keywords:

 Suicide, Intrigue, Lesbians, College-Life, LGBTQ issues, drama, friendship, loyalty, teen issues, dark secrets

 

My Review:

From the very beginning through to the very end, I was hooked. The opening was wonderfully executed by introducing a fluid and fantastically intriguing writing style. The end was one of those one liners that is so satisfying as the final sentence of a novel.

Paige is such a dynamic character. She may talk about herself as having specific characteristics and personality traits, but her character has depth. The narrative style reminds me of the style used in the movie Warm Bodies. T.B. Markinson and the Warm Bodies screen writer Jonathan Levine employ continuously running inner-dialogue that is amazingly interesting and spot on for the character. I am in love with Paige and how she tells her story. Her thoughts are juicy, spicy, and vivid. This would make a very good audiobook.

This book had me laughing as much as the Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. The main character Paige is one for a witty comeback that makes for such a fun read. Her unintentional humor as a person makes these situations even more funny. One of my favorite lines was Paige’s response to one of Liddy’s comments about how Liddy doesn’t do her job for the money. Paige says to Liddy, “I suppose prostitutes could say the same thing.” (Location 462).

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoyed the witty comments in Warm Bodies, wants a book that integrates the LGBTQ community without being obvious about it, or would like a dynamic YA book featuring a troubled college-aged female protagonist.

This novel was published by T. B. Markinson November 1st, 2013 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TLDR Star Rating: 5.0

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

T.B. Markinson’s website

Book Review: Roll the Bones by Rob May

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Roll the Bones by Rob May

A Fantasy Novel published on amazon.com (01/01/2014)

 

Summary:

Roll the Bones, the second book in the Kal Moonheart series, begins right where Dragon Killer leaves off, with action and adventure and Kal dropping right into the fighter woman character that she is. The opening scene involves Kal caught up in the robbery of the local gambling house by the King of Thieves. In order to pin down the thief and find out his identity Kal gets caught up in further trouble, involving murder and an ancient ghost of ancestors past.

 

Keywords:

 Young heroine, adventure, dragons, Dragonites cult, gambling, fighting, strong females

 

My Review:

The Kal Moonheart series focuses much on the main character Kal Moonheart and her adventures in the fantasy world Amaranthium (and beyond). Rob May does the unpredictable and accomplishes a difficult feat in literature by not forcing the gender-neutrality, as if the world just naturally exists as it does without walls and glass ceilings and labeling people into corners. His main characters and, in fact, all females in his books overcome the fighting female trope.  Kal is the what-would-happen-if-a-girl-played-this-role character that one normally sees a guy play. She isn’t just a female in a male’s role. She IS the characteristics of a macho, strong, take none of your crap character that doesn’t flaunt gender stereotypes as the norm. Rob May creates a new norm in Kal that every reader, male and female, will enjoy reading. Kal is a role model for girls in that she doesn’t have to overcome the prejudices of being female or a woman, she just is herself. I love her for this and you will too (or you might not even notice and just enjoy her story and how she kicks butt).

She is more than just a role model for girls, she is a role model for any reader because she is confident and collected. She doesn’t get carried away by emotions or let herself get weakened by pain or failure. On the other hand, she isn’t too fictional because she doesn’t always win. She isn’t invincible, just impervious to pain. She can get hurt. She can get caught. It is the way she evades death and despair and the way she gets out of the more rough situations that makes her a true hero.

If Kal wasn’t enough woman for you, one of the more aggressive characters is also female, which is unusual for most novels. Those in power and those who are more war-oriented are generally male, but Rob May breaks these stereotypes by giving us General Cassava, another strong woman and character.

Roll the Bones continues the intermingling of one of Kal’s past adventures with her exciting present predicament so the reader once again gets two stories in one. Rob May also continues to interweave the characters from book one into book two, giving us more background information on Kal’s benefactor Ben.

 

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys the adventures and strengthof Tarzan, the fun cockiness of Crocodile Dundee, or a novel with a young kick-butt female hero.

This novel was published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform 01/01/2014 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TLDR Star Rating: 4.50

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Rob May’s Website

Book Review: Dragon Killer by Rob May

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Dragon Killer by Rob May

A Fantasy Novel published on amazon.com (05/01/2013)

 

Summary:

 Kalina Moonheart and a man in pursuit of knighthood find themselves on the same quest to rid a gold-mining island of a terrible beast. Two stories unfold, one of Kalina the Dragon Killer and the other of her present day predicament trying to solve the mystery of the island’s dragon and eventually just to stay alive. This is an adventure for those true of purpose and  who are ready to take on any enemy, no matter its form or shape.

 

Keywords:

 Young heroine, adventure, dragons, Dragonites cult, gambling, fighting, strong females

 

My Review:

It is easy to fall in love with Kalina Moonheart. Her name alone would make any reader a fan. She presents herself as erring on the arrogant side of confidence. Anybody looking for a super hero will adore Kalina. She is a young heroine of no doubt and no hesitation. She is strong, witty, and clever. She can use all the tricks up her sleeve to accomplish her goals. She remains emotionally above her past’s tragedies and stands tall in the face of her current enemies. She is the renegade Indiana Jones and for her to grow and develop as a character throughout the series, my guess is that she will learn humility. At times it was difficult to connect with her as a real person because she is superhuman. She gets injured but doesn’t tell us of any pain and is not slowed down by these injuries.

In Dragon Killer dragons are clever and to defeat one Kal must be cleverer still. Rob May has one more trick up his sleeve where dragons are concerned.

I wasn’t sure which I wanted to read more, the backstory of how Kalina got the name Dragon Killer or her present adventure in the heart of a mountain on the island of the present dragon, but I was glad May gave me both and integrated them smoothly throughout the book.

The author has a knack for throwing out intriguing cliff-hangers at the end of each chapter to keep you moving through the rather short chapters.

The only part that seemed out of character for the balanced novel was the romance between Rafe and Kal. It was as if Rob May was told his story needed romance, and he threw it in after he had written the entirety of the novel.

 

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys the adventures and smart alecky-ness of Indiana Jones, the relentlessness of the Terminator, or a novel with a young kick-butt female hero.

This novel was published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform 05/01/2013 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TLDR Star Rating: 4.25

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23021166-dragon-killer

Website: http://www.robertwilliammay.com/

Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/list/120355025-rob-may-dragon-killer

Book Review: The Time Sphere (Volume 1) by A.E. Albert

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The Time Sphere (Volume 1) by A.E. Albert

A YA Fantasy/Sci Fi/Adventure Novel published by A.E. Albert (09/17/2014)

 

Summary:

Billy never went out of his way to be noticed and not because he was shy or humble. Billy grew up an orphan, in and out of group homes. He was not accepted by other kids and so thought himself less. Then everything changed. Jeanie, a fiery red-haired girl took notice of him and together they stumbled into a man who would take them far away from the lives they knew and the time they were familiar with.

Keywords:

 Fantasy, Adventure, Underdogs, History, Time Travel, Save the World, 13-year olds, Doing What is Right

 

My Review:

The Time Sphere introduces time travel as a means to tell more than just the main characters’ stories. It tells the story of Archimedes, Descarte, and several other historical figures. The Time Sphere is like a teen version of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, where Billy and Jeanie must figure out the secret of the Time Sphere through ancient philosophers, scientists, and mathematicians. They must travel through time and place to find out what controls the Time Sphere so they can get back to their own time and place.

The plot twist near the end was wonderfully surprising and I thoroughly appreciated it for its cleverness. Everything just made sense in an instant and all the questions I had were answered. Time made sense. Plot made sense. Characters made sense. It was one of the best ‘aha’ moments a reader can get.

Through Billy’s journey, he must learn to accept those who are different, and in doing so, accept himself. This book is full of take home messages and facts about historical places and figures. Billy learns that appearances are deceiving, to have faith that what is right will overcome all wrongs, love is not defined by duration, but by the person’s choice to endure, to defend the weak, etc. Most of all though, Billy learns that “A true knight is just a state of mind,” (Location 3011).

 

This novel was published by A.E. Albert 09/17/2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 3.50

Links for more information:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23280006-the-time-sphere

Website: www.aealbert.com

Book Review: The Cleansing by Danielle Tara Evans

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The Cleansing by Danielle Tara Evans

A Dystopian Drama Novel published by Amazon Digital Services (09/04/2013)

 

Summary:

“But this is no longer America. The old laws no longer apply. And what are the new laws?” (The Cleansing, Kindle Locations 1336-1337).

What if America were no longer a place where freedoms prevailed and hard-working citizens fought for the second amendment’s right to bear arms? What if, in America, Americans were no longer the majority and were in fact the population bearing the brunt of prejudice and animosity? What if the president was no longer a US born citizen?

 

Keywords:

Cleansing, America, Immigration, Natural Disasters, Environment Protection, Genocide, Dystopian, Fighting Back, Bleak

 

My Review:

What if America were no longer a place where freedoms prevailed and hard-working citizens fought for the second amendment’s right to bear arms? What if, in America, Americans were no longer the majority and were in fact the population bearing the brunt of prejudice and animosity? What if the president was no longer a US born citizen?

The Cleansing is aptly named because it follows the cleansing of America by the overwhelming majority of immigrants. The Great Natural Disasters claimed many lives, leaving the world in chaos and allowing for an influx of people from other places that were hit harder than America. The new president Julian, a Lithuanian, blames Americans and their environmentally unfriendly ways, for those disasters. He forces them to attend a program he calls the “Earth Education Program,” but it is much more sinister than it sounds. When John and Annie Weber attend this program, they find out the real reason behind this re-education tool and their lives (as well as the lives of their fellow Americans) will never be the same again.
Because we meet our main characters in the throes of utter panic and chaos, we don’t have time to sympathize or understand them. John and Annie are only made real through their emotions and their own struggles to have a child. They are reactive characters to the dire situation they continuously find themselves in. Much of this dystopian novel is reserved for Annie’s desire to have children. Much of the other part of the novel I found to be quite unbelievable. Perhaps it is because I am American and I would never want an American genocide to occur. Perhaps it is because it’s such a new background for an end-of-world novel that it is difficult to wrap my head around. Perhaps it’s because it is an unbelievable concept taken far beyond the norm that makes it unbelievable. I just didn’t buy it, but maybe you will.

 

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Servies 09/04/2013 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TLDR Star Rating: 3.25

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18463371-the-cleansing

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/DanielleTaraEvans

Website: danielletaraevans.com

Book Review: Haylee Awakened Seed: an illustrated, paranormal, adventure (Haylee and the Traveler’s Stone Book 1) by Lisa Redfern

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Haylee Awakened Seed: an illustrated, paranormal, adventure (Haylee and the Traveler’s Stone Book 1) by Lisa Redfern

An Illustrated/Paranormal/Adventure published by Little Mountain Publishing (07/21/2014)

 

Summary:

 On the eve of Haylee’s 18th birthday, something inside of her changes. She is plagued with an insatiable hunger, a sudden blossoming of womanly beauty, profuse bleeding and a migraine so powerfully painful that it causes her to pass out. She awakens in the hospital with worried nurse and father looking on. After convincing them she is alright, the beginnings of another migraine spur her to steal some clothes and run for isolation, where hunger overcomes her once again and she eventually passes out. The next day, she is home again, convincing her father yet again that she is alright. She begins her new life as a ugly duckling turned swan 18-year old beauty at her high school with a hidden secret.

 

Keywords:

 Paranormal, Animal Kindred, High School, Teen Drama, Awakening

 

My Review:

Haylee is special, but we don’t know what she is turning into, what her secret is. We know that she is changing, but we don’t know much about her before the event, except for several short memories of brief moments in her life that were significant. The author does a very good job of setting up Haylee’s backstory in these briefest of moments even while keeping most of Haylee’s secrets to reveal later on. I don’t know what Haylee’s favorite color or tv show is, but I want to.

Haylee’s ability from early childhood and her newfound secret from the awakening are not described in much detail. Haylee herself seems mostly unaware that her abilities are not normal, only that she is different from the other children because they treat her that way. Even during the change Haylee doesn’t find it at all disturbing, either her voracious hunger or her unusual newfound strength. She has almost no reaction to her predicament or from passing out or bleeding profusely. Does Haylee know something the reader does not?

This was a short quick read that flowed easily up through the abrupt ending that acts as a subtle cliffhanger. There are many questions to answer in Haylee’s continued awakening and adventure.

This novel was published by Little Mountain Publishing 07/21/2014 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TLDR Star Rating: 3.50

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23155386-haylee-awakened-seed

Website: https://lisaredfern.wordpress.com/

Book Review: Return to Mt. Snagra (A Mattie & Pete Adventure) (Volume 1) by Tyan Wyss

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Return to Mt. Snagra (A Mattie & Pete Adventure) (Volume 1) by Tyan Wyssi

A YA Fantasy Novel published through CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform  (08/18/2013)

Summary:

Mattie and Pete, two imaginative children living in Southern California, hold the key to this fantasy. Literally: they have keys. And a very important book. They are swept into an adventure where they must use their wits, creativity, and strength to save the fantastical land of Gisper from the evil Vulture King. Along the way they become friends with an impatient and rude princess, a half-human half-creature of the land, and the mysterious man in the orange grove next door. Who wrote the book and why Mattie and Pete are sucked into its outlandish adventure will only be revealed if they can save the day.

“The soothsayer predicted a young girl with a powerful book would come to rescue the twin Gisperians when the moon was half-waned. Her hair would have many tiny braids, and her feet would be enclosed in boots with dancing spurs. She was to be accompanied by a powerful, one-handed boy with a golden voice and quick mind who negotiates first instead of grabbing his sword.” (Page 146-147).

Keywords:

 Fantasy, Adventure, Books, Heros and Heroines, Underdogs, Save the Kingdom

My Review:

This is exactly the type of novel I would have read in my voracious reading days in late elementary through the beginning of high school. It is a sophisticated read for any maturing teen who wants a little adventure, a little romance, and a little creativity. The plot becomes more and more complex as the book progresses, with the perfect touch of character development and self-discovery for the main character. This is a well-balanced fantasy where the world-building makes sense and all the elements are there for the reading.

Mattie and Pete are the main characters, but the story is mainly told from mattie’s perspective. Mattie is a likeable character. She is given the underdog story and readers will root for her, because she is a bit of all of us. At times she is plain, clumsy, impatient, belittled, bullied, and she can’t make up her mind what she wants to be. Then she falls into this magical story where she blossoms and grows. Again literally. She goes from an 11-year old girl to a robust teenager. She needed to know what the future held for her and if it would work out alright. Like “13 Going on 30” she is sixteen, flirty, and thriving. Mattie finds her self-purpose in helping the Gispers win their kingdom back and her conviction is solid. She becomes wise and verbose, giving the reader a taste of maturity and intelligence.

The author layers her plot and her motives like an expert, giving the book a higher degree of elegance than most that follow a more linear plotline. Wyss plays with the “Return to Mt. Snagra” novel, revealing the future so that the children have guidance during their quest while at times the pages are blank, waiting for their decisions and actions to fill in the words. The author has integrated the past and the future into this book that the children carry with them at all times.

The author also plays with time and space with more than just the way the words are revealed on the pages of the book within the book “Return to Mt. Snagra.” There is an element of time travel hidden within the layers of the novel. This gives the reader something to ponder over after finishing the book. There are quite a few ‘somethings’ that the reader puts together by the end of the book that are simply too cool.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoyed the Neverending Story by Michael Ende or the smooth and charming personable style of Roald Dahl

This novel was published through CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform  08/18/2013 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 4.75

Links for more information:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18388212-return-to-mt-snagra

Website: http://www.authortyanwyss.com/

Book Review: Mind Space Volume 1: Conspiracy / Book 3: Mind Space by David S. Moore

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Mind Space Volume 1: Conspiracy / Book 3: Mind Space by David S. Moore

A Science Fiction Novel published on amazon.com (01/10/2014)

 

Summary:

 Book three of the Mind Space Series follows the last years in the race to ready the planet for Mind Space on the target date of 2084. Jaimeson-Cale is doing everything in their power to reach their target percentage of Mind Shield hosts planet-wide. The Mind-Freedom Alliance is still in the game to take down Mind Space, the Mind Shield, and Jaimeson-Cale with their increasingly threatening tactics. “…No, the problem wasn’t the Mind Shield itself. The problem was with the people who were behind it– the people who were determined to use it to assert control over all of humanity.” (Page 400).

 

Keywords:

Science Fiction, Mind Control, America 2070’s and 2080’s, Technology, Resistance Movement, Rival Product, Monopoly, Free Market, Restoration

 

My Review:

The Mind Space Series has a powerful message: Is it ok to enslave the mind for the good of the masses? “‘War will cease,’ Daniel added. ‘Hatred and prejudice will be gone. Drug abuse, obesity, domestic violence– the self-destructive behaviors that ruin lives in every country– they will all quickly become things of the past.'” (Page 303). The Mind-Freedom Alliance and almost all who had a Mind Shield removed, believe that it isn’t alright to enslave the mind no matter the results. Adam True and the Defenders of the True believe the opposite, but they are also deluded enough to think that the Mind Shield doesn’t enslave the mind, only frees it from the tyranny of its own doubt and confusions (Page 79). Those who are in control of their own thoughts and not under the influence of the sales pitch of the Mind Shield propose individual freedoms over any alternative. Many people, though, cannot discount the life saving and wonderful characteristics the Mind Shield has to offer. That’s where the Limbic Freedom comes in. It offers all that the Mind Shield offers, plus a thought sharing network to boot. Yet, the masses are still being converted by the millions to Mind Shield, but not through completely moral sales tactics.

As this is the third book in the series, it brings the finale. Throughout the third book I began to change my allegiance from rooting for the underdogs and those trying to free the mind to Jaimeson-Cale, but for a unique reason. I wanted the Mind Space to happen because I kind of wanted to see how a society without drug addiction, eating disorders, racism, hate or violence would look like. The world building for this type of world is silent, as we are only given one side of it: the planning, development, marketing, scheming world but what would a Mind Space world be like? What kind of world would David Moore build for his readers?

The vision of Jaimeson-Cale for humanity with the Mind Shield and Mind Space is warped, though, and I really would never want them to win the fight. Moore brings up an interesting point when he says, “The Mind Shield exerted a moderating influence on all behavior, even otherwise harmless behavior. It made one wonder what the masters of the Mind Shield thought ideal human behavior should be.” (Page 84).

I almost didn’t notice the fact that Moore had seamlessly given women and men equal roles in his novel. Women (just like the men) were in positions of power, they were victims and saboteurs, security guards and leaders.

I very much enjoyed the Mind Space series and look forward to more science fiction from David Moore. He brings up thought-provoking questions in his novels, can describe a world stirringly, and flows through his story seamlessly from beginning to end.

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a well written novel and easy-to-read science fiction novel. This book reminds me of Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke  in it’s sweeping narration through long periods of time with a focus on a single aspect of society.

This novel was published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform 01/10/2014 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TLDR Star Rating: 4.75

 

Links for more information:

David S. Moore’s Website

FreeValley Publishing’s David S. Moore

Book Review: Click Date Repeat by K. J. Farnham

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Click Date Repeat by  K. J. Farnham

A Chick Lit Novel Published thorugh CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform  (August 21, 2014)

 

Summary:

 Chloe is your average 25-year old. She hangs out with her friends, she goes to bars, she spends holidays with her families. On the urging of a friend she tries out online dating and almost every possible combination of hilarious encounters with questionable profiles ensues.

Keywords:

 Online Dating, Chick lit, Twenty-somethings, Dating mishaps, Dating baggage, Teachers.

My Review:

Click Date Repeat is one of those delightfully fun novels that is so relatable in today’s dating world. The story may be set in 2003, at the early stages of online dating, but almost every single detail and horrifying dating story is still applicable today. This book is everything you wanted and didn’t want to know about online dating. Farnham shows both the darker side of online dating as well as the hilarity of the situations that can and do arise from meeting potential partners online.

Chloe is a relatable character that any dating twenty-something will root for. She makes mistakes and poor decisions, but she maintains an unquenchable positivity in her experiences. “After a first-date kiss, guilt usually causes me to feel the need to continue seeing someone, regardless of any red flags. I get in too deep, too fast, often because of that physical intimacy.” (Page 59). Chloe is a loveable character, hopeful and able to see the good in people, giving them the benefit of the doubt to a fault because not everyone she meets is as well-intentioned as she is. But she is not without her own personality quirks and emotional baggage, which is the very reason you want her to succeed. She is like any person in the dating scene, vulnerable to the clutches of those who might have ulterior motives or those who lie about who they are to get what they want.

Not only did I relate to the main character, but also to the experiences she had with her first (second and third) dates. Who hasn’t had a bad first date at Applebee’s? Who hasn’t tried to assess the intelligence of a potential partner with the game of Scrabble, only to find the person didn’t  how to do simple arithmetic to add up the tiles? This book is like the quintessential online dating experience all wrapped up in a nice little package so that you can read about Chloe’s mistakes and potentially avoid making them yourself. The author also packages the novel with a great writing style, some well-worded phrases and well-laid out descriptions of all the characters. I was not at all confused between the myriad of dating prospects and Chloe’s friends because Farnham is able to give me short to-the-point unique descriptors. My favorite was: “Drew’s smile is contagious. He’s an eye-smiler: The type of person who isn’t capable of faking a smile. He also oozes emotion through his facial expressions.” (Page 54).

I absolutely love the author’s title, and her cover is spot on. The very first page contains the stats of the main character, an interesting choice, but perfectly placed considering the material of the book itself.

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a light read, a chick lit novel, or reliving the ins and outs of dating.

This novel was published through Createspace Independant Publishing Platform is available on Amazon here.

 

TLDR Star Rating: 4.25

 

Links for more information:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClickDateRepeat
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8496528.K_J_Farnham

Book Review: The Boy Who Fell into the Sky (The Possessor Wars, Book 1) by Chad Spencer

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The Boy Who Fell into the Sky (The Possessor Wars, Book 1) by Chad Spencer

A Teen/Young Adult Science Fiction Novel published by PossessorWars.com (July 22, 2014)

 

Summary:

Jeff Bowman lives a normal life… for a kid living in a mile-wide thousands of stories tall ‘arcology’ in a world where there are colonies beyond earth. Jeff, his friends Harriet and Akio, and a growing network of their friends have found a way to make extra money for school, lessons, and programs for their datapads. They rebuilt robots to help garden, because everybody eats synthpaste and real fruits and veggies are valued highly. Their friendship is disrupted when they are separated by colonization, and Jeff begins his true path, following in the footsteps of his father as an engineer on a Spaceship.

 

Keywords:

 Futuristic, 14-year-olds, friendship, revenge, life-changes

 

My Review:

The immediate opening of The Boy Who Fell Into the Sky is full of catchups, aka backstory. The reader is inundated with current technology and sci-fi knowledge of how space travel works. The author spends a lot of his first few pages defining all the new aspects of technology, which intrudes into the developing story and drags out the explanations that most readers of young adult will skip over entirely for the good stuff: the story and the action. The author even employs textbooks to help him tell the story of this modern society, dulling the impact of the crazy wonder of a new world by straight out telling the reader all about it instead of letting it soak in naturally from events, dialogue, etc.

I was intrigued by synthpaste, the concept of every food (flavor) from one tube. I was also quite intrigued when Jeff and his friends subverted this concept of fake food by growing a garden (illegally), but the author didn’t take this action anywhere. The gardens were a plot dead end and only showed the reader that Jeff was a nice guy and took care of his friends, which he continues to do throughout book, rendering the entire first part of the book unnecessary.

About a third of the way into the book, the author threw in a bright yellow wrench of surprise that blew me away. O cruel, cruel writers to give your characters their worst nightmares and have them struggle along, attempting to be the heroes and heroines of their own stories. What a grand plot twist.

Hissing and booing, I cringed when I came to this line: “Did it ever occur to you that girls like to do different things than guys?” First the author makes the one girl fit in as one of the guys, calling her Harry and then we find out she never wanted to be called by that name. Then the author gives her such a weak personality that is so stereotypically girly that I just want to tear the pages out. The other females introduced later are no better and none would pass the infamous Bechdel test (a work of fiction featuring at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man). Granted, the female characters are not that bad, but when Harriet tells Jeff and the guys that she wants to be treated as a GIRL because she is a GIRL, I take offense as a GIRL. Surely this novel was not just written to be read by young male readers?

Supposedly these three friends are approximately 14-years old. To me, their behavior and speech pegs them at a middle school age, not at a high school age. Their inappropriate behavior and near tantrums give the impression that they are younger and that the novel is intended for a younger audience.

The stylistic choice for capturing Jeff’s thoughts became annoying and intrusive to read. I understand the novel was written in third person from the point of view of Jeff (most of the time), but to tell the reader “Jeff thought” every time Jeff has internal dialogue was repetitive and annoying. I wish the author had thought to place Jeff’s inner-thoughts in italics or did away with them altogether. Were all of them truly necessary? Probably not.

I did really enjoy the concept of referencing others by Sirsen and Mamsen for Sir and Miss/Mrs./Ms. respectively.

One of the biggest issues in this novel was the pointlessness of the first part of the book. What is the essence of the story if not about Jeff’s great problem in space and the first part was a buildup to nowhere with Jeff and his three friends. Understanding that this book is a part of a series might come into play later on in the series, but looking at this novel as a unit in and of itself, it come up lacking in this regard.

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys early reader young adult novels or futuristic space stories.

This novel was published by PossessorWars.com July 22, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TLDR Star Rating: 3.00

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22907331-the-boy-who-fell-into-the-sky

Website: http://possessorwars.com/the-series/book-1.html